Lashana Lynch to play Rita Marley in Bob Marley biopic

Get ready for more Lashana Lynch. The actress who made acclaimed turns in “Captain Marvel” and “No Time to Die” just took on her latest role: Rita Marley in the upcoming Bob Marley biopic.

Lashana Lynch attends the photocall for the Chopard Trophy on May 19, 2022 during the 75th Annual Cannes Film Festival at the Martinez Hotel in Cannes, France. The actress has been tapped to portray Rita Marley in the upcoming Bob Marley biopic. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

According to a recent report from Deadline, Lynch is set to portray the legendary singer’s wife in the still-untitled biopic from Paramount. The film, which Reinaldo Marcus Green (“King Richard”) will direct, stars Kingsley Ben-Adir as the reggae singer. A “large net” was cast for the role of Rita Marley. Lynch not only won over executives, but Marley’s family which gave their “blessing to the casting.”

Rita, Ziggy and Cedella Marley are among the film’s producers. Green and Zach Baylin wrote the script for the film.

The Marley film is one of a number of roles Lynch has lined up. In September, she is set to appear in “The Woman King,” the action movie from Gina Prince-Bythewood. In the “historical epic,” the British actress stars alongside Viola Davis. She will also star as Ms. Honey in Netflix’s upcoming adaptation of the “Matilda” Broadway musical.

As theGrio previously reported, one of Lynch’s biggest roles to date has been that of Nomi, the 007 in the latest James Bond film, “No Time To Die.”

Rita Marley collects the posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award for Bob Marley in September 2005 during the MOBO Awards 2005, the 10th anniversary of the annual music event at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Lashana Lynch will portray the wife of the legendary singer in an upcoming Bob Marley biopic. (Photo by Jo Hale/Getty Images)

Referring to the role, she told  Harpers Bazaar, “A character that is too slick, a cast-iron figure? That’s completely against what I stand for. I didn’t want to waste an opportunity when it came to what Nomi might represent. I searched for at least one moment in the script where Black audience members would nod their heads, tutting at the reality but glad to see their real life represented. In every project I am part of, no matter the budget or genre, the Black experience that I’m presenting needs to be 100% authentic.”

The Bob Marley biopic is currently set to debut in 2024.

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